There is an art of the protest song. It should have the power to rally the masses with the goal to bring about change. While he often rejected the crown of a protest singer, few wrote more moving, politically charged music than Bob Dylan.
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His early career was punctuated by socially conscious and politically-tinged hits, such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” that made him the voice of a generation. That distinction, however, would shift by 1965 as he began to move from political songwriting in favor of a more artful and complex folk-rock songcraft that can first be found on his Bringing It All Back Home.
Even with the shift, Dylan is still considered today one of history’s great songsmiths, but it’s his early songs that still hold power as protest anthems. It makes one wonder what it would be like if he penned a protest song today, so we asked ChatGPT to write a modern-day protest song in the style of a young Dylan. Here’s what it came up with.
The Song
The artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, came up with the below lyrics, titling the tune “Echoes of Change.” The imagined song touches upon present social and political issues through the lens of Dylan, weaving together his timeless literary flair with potent pleas for justice and equality.
(Verse 1)
In a world spinning out of control
Where the powers that be have taken their toll
It’s time to rise, let our voices be heard
For justice and truth, let our spirits converge
(Chorus)
Echoes of change, they’re calling out loud
In every street, in every crowd
Together we stand, united we fight
For a better tomorrow, we shine our light
(Verse 2)
Inequality’s grip, it’s tightening fast
The rich get richer, while the poor come last
But we won’t be silenced, we won’t back down
For the voiceless and oppressed, we wear the crown
(Chorus)
Echoes of change, they’re calling out loud
In every street, in every crowd
Together we stand, united we fight
For a better tomorrow, we shine our light
(Verse 3)
In the darkness of hatred, we’ll sow seeds of love
Breaking the barriers, rising above
For every color, every gender, and creed
We’ll march hand in hand, fulfilling our needs
(Chorus)
Echoes of change, they’re calling out loud
In every street, in every crowd
Together we stand, united we fight
For a better tomorrow, we shine our light
(Bridge)
The winds of resistance are blowing so strong
No longer silent, we’re singing our song
In the face of injustice, we won’t be subdued
With compassion and courage, we’ll change the mood
(Chorus)
Echoes of change, they’re calling out loud
In every street, in every crowd
Together we stand, united we fight
For a better tomorrow, we shine our light
(Outro)
Let these words echo through the night
A beacon of hope, a guiding light
Bob Dylan’s spirit, forever we’ll keep
In this anthem for change, the flame runs deep
The Sound
Lyrically, the song is profound, but it’s difficult to imagine what it would sound like. We asked the chatbot to describe what we might hear and the answer was unique to Dylan given his musical evolution and cross-genre style.
ChatGPT surmised the tune would incorporate various genres such as folk, rock, blues, and country as the artist also drew inspiration from today’s musical styles. In the Dylan fashion, however, he would still maintain his distinct sound and signature delivery.
Mixing acoustic and electric elements while also incorporating a sturdy rhythm section for a raw and grit-filled sound, the song would ultimately be carried by Dylan’s iconic rasp. His words would be charged with emotion as he delivered his thought-provoking message.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
